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Birthdate and Childhood
My name is Chong Wu. I grew up in Beijing, China. My family was very poor and we were always hungry. Both of my parents died when I was 17 years old. When I was I was 27, I decided it would be best for my wife and 3 children, if I moved to America. I would send them money every week to help with their needs back at home. I hoped to help support my family by working on the Trans-Continental Railroad with my two brothers. There was nothing we wanted more then to be happy. -
Meeting my two brothers
After the Angled Island process, I met my two brothers and they told me they got me a job working on the railroad. They said that the work was hard, but it paid well enough. They said that the owner sometimes discriminates against them because their Chinese. They also told me that white people didn't seem to like the Chinese very well. I just hoped that everything would be okay for us. -
Angel Island
Arriving at Angel Island felt almost unreal. There were crowds of people gathering around the doorways. I was told to go and stand in line with the males, so I did so. I waited about an 1 hour to get my examination. After the doctor checked for diseases, he said I was good to go. So, I walked out and exchanged the money I had for U.S. dollars. -
Working on the TCRR
I had been working on the Transcontinental Railroad for 2 years. Everyday something different would occur. We were muddy and hungry. We worked long days and nights. There were explosions every once in a while, and people would get severely injured or sometimes even die. It was a dangerous job, but helping my family was my number one priority. All that mattered was that they were secure and happy. -
The explosion
It was an ordinary day. I had just gotten to work, when someone told me that we'd have to go through a bit of mountain. I thought nothing of it, because well we did that all the time. But, that day my life changed forever. I was told that I would be doing other work, so I started carrying barrels and such. My two brothers went into set of the explosives, but they didn't get out in time. Both of my brothers were dead, and I was devastated. -
Moving East
I decided to send for my family, and have us all move to Pennsylvania. I figured I could work on a farm, or perhaps get a higher class job. When my family got to California, we left for the East. We hoped to move on from this previous trajedy, and start over. In the end, the United States brought us good fortune and support.
